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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bore — to tire
  3. drill — army training
  4. bass — low music
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. plane — a tool
  12. spring — the season
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. bass — the fish
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bore — to drill
  22. root — the cause
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. root — of a word

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com